


toxic love

by thepandemicwillend



Series: Splatoon Against the Multiverse [2]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Awkwardness, Bonding, Break Up, Crying, Dating, Drama, F/M, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Manipulation, Non-Consensual Kissing, Non-Sexual, Plot, Restaurants, Romance, Short, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26813899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepandemicwillend/pseuds/thepandemicwillend
Summary: a prequel to Splat, Contain, Protect, showing Marcus's life before Inkopolis and the New Squidbeak Splatoon.
Relationships: Agent 4 (Splatoon)/Original Character(s)
Series: Splatoon Against the Multiverse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1955647
Kudos: 1





	1. class

**Author's Note:**

> new chapter every day this week

Melani county high school was a middle-of-the-road education center, at least as far as inkling society at large was concerned. As far as Marcus Myers was concerned, it was a fairly decent place. Like all inkling students, he’d started low school at the age of 6, going through the first 4 of 8 grades. After 4th grade, he’d graduated to high school. Now 12 years old, he almost resembled the older, more humanoid inklings that were generally old enough to graduate school altogether. His limbs had fully developed by now, and the only part of him that was different was his head, which was almost a perfect circle and completely green from natural ink-blood. He was walking through the hallway to biology class-try as he might, he still couldn’t wrap his head around how inklings gained the ability to shapeshift between squid and humanoid forms at the age of 14. Walking into the classroom, he sat next to his friend Whinter. “Hey Mark, ready for the test today?” Marcus blanched in horror. “What?! No one told me there’d be a test today!” Whinter tried to stifle his laughter, his face a bright blue from his ink-blood. “Dude, relax. You’ll be fine.” “Castello! Myers! Unless you have something important to share, please remain quiet.” Their teacher, mr. Pike whacked his smartboard with his pointer to get the class’s attention. “Now, can anyone tell me how inkling shapeshifting operates?” An orange-faced girl in the middle of the classroom raised her hand excitedly. “Yes, ms. Lanark?” the biology teacher accepted, pointing her out. “It happens when inklings concentrate hard enough on transforming, and then it just happens.” “Well, you’re not entirely wrong.” He turned around, starting to draw on the smartboard with his pointer. “However, you’re grossly oversimplifying the mechanics of shapeshifting. For starters, when an inking turns 14 years of age, their ink enzymes become fully developed. And ink enzymes are...” He left the room open for anyone who wanted to answer. Whinter raised his hand, elbowing Marcus in the shoulder as if he wasn’t paying attention already. “Yes, mr. Castello?” “Ink enzymes are substances that act as a catalyst for transformation by inflaming at will, which causes an inkling’s body to be completely engulfed in ink until they shapeshift.” “That is correct.” The teacher started drawing a diagram of how the process worked. “Okay, seriously. How did you know that and not me?” Marcus hissed. “I studied last night. You?” “Fair point.” He faced forward, paying attention to the rest of the lecture before the test started.

“Well, I think that went well.” Clementine Lanark remarked as the students filed out of the classroom. “Hey, Marcus, how do you think… Marcus?” The boy slowly walked out of the classroom, his eyes vacant with a unique sort of horror most only experienced a few times in their lives, even if they were particularly unfortunate. “Uh huh.” He nodded vaguely, still trying to process his recent trial. “O...kay, so, you guys remember what we’re having for lunch today?” Whinter asked, trying to change the subjects. “Uh, I think we’re having sandwiches today?” Marcus responded, having somewhat recovered. “Thank you, that was very helpful.” Whinter rolled his eyes as the three walked to the lunchroom.


	2. lunch encounter

After getting their lunch from the cafeteria, Marcus, Clementine, and Whinter went outside, where tables had been set up. The sun was nearly at its zenith, and the sound of leaves being crunched underfoot permeated the cool september air. “So, Mark.” Whinter started, swallowing his bite of hot dog. “Got your eye on anyone?” “Uh, what?” Marcus smiled awkwardly, distracted from his sandwich. “What do you mean?” “I mean...” The other boy chuckled. “...do you have a crush on anybody?” “Wait, what? I- no, of course not!” “Then why are you blushing?” Clementine grinned. “I’m not blushing. Why would you say I’m blushing? Maybe you’re blushing!” Marcus blurted out, trying to ignore the heat from the green ink-blood rushing to his face. “Dude, come on; your face is practically glowing.” She tried to stop herself laughing before asking, “Is it me?” “What? No, no. I always thought you two had a thing.” He gestured to Whinter and clementine. “Come on, don’t change the subject.” Whinter argued, leaning forward on the table. “Do you have a crush on someone or not?” “Well, I mean...” Marcus started absentmindedly playing with his tentacle-hair, deciding he could trust his friends. “There’s a girl named Taylor in a few of my classes. I guess she’s kind of pretty.” “I knew it!” Clementine completely gave up on trying to contain her laughter, while Whinter gestured to the side. “I think she’s somewhere over there.” “So?” “So, go talk to her. What’ve you got to lose?” Marcus considered for a moment. “Maybe. You got any advice?” His friend just shrugged. “Just go for it, I guess.” “Okay. Maybe you’re right.” He got up, leaving the table. Having finally recovered, Clementine leaned across the table to bite into his lunch. “Seriously?” “What? He left his lunch behind; that means he gave it up.” She argued defensively. “It’s a school rule.” She pointed over to a nearby wall, where a series of rules were written down. “Rule 3: if you leave your food, it’s up for grabs.” Whinter read to himself, squinting to read the sign. “Huh. Weird rule.”

Marcus spent a few minutes looking for Taylor, eventually finding her on her own off to the side, holding a magnifying glass over an anthill. “Hey, Taylor?” He started, clearing his throat. The girl looked up, startled, and put the magnifying glass in her pocket. “Oh, hey. Didn’t see you there.” Her face was a bright, technicolor purple, and her two longest tentacle-hairs hung from either side of it, reaching down past her waist. “So, what do you want?” She looked at him suspiciously. “My name’s Marcus. I was thinking, and, well...” He held out his hand, still relatively underdeveloped to the point where it resembled a bright green, fleshy mitten. She seemed to think for a moment before taking his hand in her own, equally half-formed, one. “You know what? I think I can work with that.” Taylor pulled him into a tight hug, startling him. “Ow. Hey, not so tight. I can’t breathe.” “Oh. Sorry.” She giggled, after waiting a few more seconds to pull away from him. “So. I’m thinking we should go on a date tomorrow, right after school, at the pizza place downtown.” “Eh, I’m not really sure. I mean, I don’t know if I’ll have homework tomorrow, so-” “-Oh come on man, live a little.” She sidled up next to him, putting her arm around his side. “Who cares if you miss a day of homework? It’s not like we’re ever going to use this stuff anyway. Besides, you want to make a girl feel special on a first date, right?” She gave him a wide grin, a strange glint in her eyes. “Uh, y-yeah. I guess that makes sense.” He agreed hesitantly. “Great! Thanks Marky!” She hugged him tighter than last time, waiting a bit longer to let go. “Uh. Right.” He ran back over to his friends’ table, excitedly telling them, “Guys! I talked to Taylor, and she agreed to go out with me tomorrow after school!” “That’s awesome!” Clementine congratulated, as Taylor sat down barely an inch apart from him. “Yeah, I sure am lucky. So, Mark, these friends of yours?” She looked at Whinter, and briefly glared at Clementine for a second or two. “Yeah, they’re pretty great. They actually convinced me to talk to you.” “Oh, really? That’s so nice of them!” “Yeah, their names are Clementine and Whinter.” “Whinter, huh? That’s a cool name.” Taylor smirked. “Wow, never heard that one before.” Whinter rolled his eyes while Marcus looked down at the table. “Hey, what happened to my sandwich?”


	3. the first date

“Hi mom! Hi dad!” Marcus called, setting his backpack down on the brown couch as he ran through the kitchen into the living room. “Well now, you seem happy about something.” His father grinned, ruffling his tentacle-hair. “I got a girlfriend!” Marcus started rocking back and forth on his heels, barely able to contain his excitement. “Okay. Now this is the part where you tell me all about her.” He gently sat his son down on the couch, sitting next to him. “Well, her name’s Taylor, she’s my age, and she’s really nice.” A woman in her mid-thirties, around the same age as her husband, hugged him from behind. “My baby’s got a girlfriend!” “Gah! Mom, stop! I have homework!” He started laughing; he was too happy at the moment to really care. His mother gave him a kiss before letting him go to his room to finish his homework. “So.” She sat on the arm of the couch, a couch cushion apart from her husband. “What’d he say her name was?” “Taylor.” “Oh, that’s a nice name. I’m sure they’ll be great together. By the way, did you hear what happened in Inkopolis last month?” “Yeah, the great zapfish disappeared, didn’t it? I heard they got it back though.” They’d all heard on the news how the inkling population’s biggest city had suddenly lost its greatest biological source of electricity, and how it’d reappeared just as inexplicably. “Yes, exactly. If you ask me, the whole thing is really suspicious. I’m wondering if there’s some conspiracy involved.” “Maybe.” He shrugged, “But if it is, then it’s not like there’s much we can do about it.”

The next day, Marcus was walking downtown, going to the local pizza restaurant. He’d called his parents on his cell phone, reminding them about his date to make sure they didn’t worry about him getting home late. A half hour or so after leaving the school, he walked through the front door, the bell ringing overhead. The aura of the place was a healthy medium, neither overwhelmingly fancy nor filthy. There were a few clusters of tables around, Taylor already sitting at one. It was a seat yourself type of establishment, so Marcus was free to sit directly across from her. She was glaring at him, arms crossed, and barely waited for him to sit before she asked, “Well?” “Uh, I’m sorry. What’d I do?” He asked, completely perplexed. “Isn’t it obvious? You never gave me your phone number!” She hissed, quickly leaning forward. “Oh!” He exclaimed, startled, hastily fumbling to get his phone out of his pocket. “I’m sorry, I completely forgot. Here, I’ve got my phone with me; we can trade numbers now.” “That’s better. Sorry about getting mad at you.” She grinned, pulling out her own cellular device. They quickly traded their numbers before putting the devices back in their pockets. “By the way, I ordered drinks for us.” Taylor pointed out two glasses of blue liquid in front of her, pushing one across the table. “Uh, thanks.” He took a sip of the drink, smiling at his girlfriend until a waitress came up to the table. “Hello, I’ll be your server this afternoon. Are you kids ready, or do you want another minute to look over your menus?” Before Marcus could say anything, Taylor responded, “We’re good. I’ll have the five-cheese ravioli, and he’ll be having the meat, potato, and onion stew.” “Good choices.” She wrote down the order, walking back to the kitchen. “Taylor, I wasn’t going to order stew. I mean, the drink I appreciate, but I could’ve ordered my own meal.” “Well, have you ever tried the stew before?” “Well, I, no, but-” “-Well then, what’s the harm in trying it?” She asked innocently. Marcus hesitated, thinking for a moment. “I guess you’re right. Okay, I’ll try the stew.” “Thanks Marky!” Taylor grinned, putting her hands over his on the table. A while later, the waitress appeared with the entrees on a serving tray. “Here’s your ravioli and stew. Your parents know where you two are, right?” “Yeah, we let them know.” Marcus assured her. “Good, good. Just making sure.” She nodded, walking off. “So, Mark...” Taylor started, grabbing her fork and taking a bite out of a cheese-and-sauce-covered ravioli. “You going to try your stew or what?” He hesitated, looking down at the viscous broth filled with meat and vegetables. “Uh, well, I guess if it’d make you happy...” “It would.” She confirmed succinctly. Marcus put his spoon in the stew, eating the bit of meat and liquid. It was hotter than he’d expected, just about burning his tongue as he instinctively spat out the scalding liquid. “Is something wrong?” She asked innocently. “Sorry, it-it’s just...” He coughed hoarsely, trying to recover. “Just a bit hotter than I expected.” “Oh. Well, why don’t you just wait for it to cool down a little?” “Yeah. You’re probably right.” Marcus waited a while before retrying his meal, this time able to eat it without pain. He wasn’t sure he liked the taste or the texture, but Taylor was looking at him so eagerly that he didn’t want to disappoint her. “It’s uh, yeah, it’s great.” He lied, struggling to swallow the bit of potato he’d caught in the spoonful. “Really? I’m so glad you like it!” “So, um, anything you want to talk about?” He asked, absentmindedly twirling his spoon in the stew. “I’m not sure. Oh, what about those friends of yours from yesterday?” Marcus perked up. “You mean Whinter and Clementine? I’ve known them since I started high school a couple years ago; they’re my best friends.” He caught himself, adding, “Well, and you, of course. I mean, you’re my girlfriend, of course, and I care about you too.” It still felt a little weird to actually call someone his girlfriend, but it was definitely a pleasant sort of weird. “Yeah, I’d kinda hope you’d care about me.” She responded sarcastically. They continued talking and eating for a while until they finished, paying for their meals before going back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I forgot to upload this chapter yesterday. I guess it must've just slipped my mind somehow. But, hey, double feature today. That's cool, right? But seriously, I apologize and I'll try to keep consistent uploads in the future.


	4. a talk between friends

The saturday after Marcus and Taylor had started dating, there was a knock out front. “Yeah?” He opened the door to see who it was. “Oh, hi Clementine.” “Hey Mark.” She looked uncharacteristically serious. “Look, I really want to talk to you about something. Mind if we go to your bedroom?” “Uh, sure. I don’t see why not.” “Marcus! Who’s at the door?!” Someone called from another room. “It’s just Clementine, mom!” He turned back to his friend. “Yeah, c’mon.” They walked down the hallway, past the living room where Marcus’s mother was reading a novel, into his bedroom. The bed was laid parallel to the back wall, the black-and-brown checkered floor partially covered by piles of old clothes and the books that weren’t on the small wooden bookshelf perpendicular to the bed. “I see you’ve cleaned up since the last time I was here.” She remarked, closing the wood door behind her. “Yeah, I wasn’t exactly expecting company today. Plus, we had a ton of homework this week, and I’ve been talking with Taylor a lot on the phone.” “Yeah, that’s actually kind of what I want to talk to you about.” She sat on the bed, motioning for him to do the same. “Isn’t there anything about Taylor that strikes you as, I don’t know, odd?” “What? No, not really. Why?” She hesitated a bit before explaining, “When you first introduced her to us, I could’ve sworn I saw her glare at me. It was only for a second or two, but it was definitely there.” Marcus looked down at the floor. “Well, I’ve known you for years now. Maybe she thinks you’re competition?” “Huh. Maybe. Speaking of which, how’s she been treating you?” “Oh, she’s been great. She convinced me to go on our first date instead of doing homework, and I gotta say, her idea was way more fun. Oh, and she ordered the stew for me. I didn’t actually like it, but at least she wants me to try new things.” Clementine grabbed his shoulders, turning his head so they were making eye contact. “She ordered for you?” Her tone was less angry and more concerned. “Uh, well, yeah. Is there something wrong with that?” “I don’t know. It just kind of sounds like an all-take and no-give relationship.” “What? No, no that-that’s ridiculous.” He grinned, almost laughing. “I’m serious, Mark! I’m not sure I trust her. Maybe you should stop seeing her.” “Oh, come on Clementine. You’re not my mom.” “Maybe not, but I know someone who is.” “Oh really? Who?” Marcus snapped. Clementine blinked, wondering if he was serious about that question. “Uh, Y-your mom.” “Oh. Yeah, I guess that checks out. But still, we’ve only been going out for a few days. I’m sure if you just give it time, you’ll start to like her better.” “Yeah, you’re probably right. Still, you’ll let me and Whinter know if anything goes wrong, right?” “Well, yeah of course.” “Thank you.” Clementine smiled, gently hugging Marcus. “Take care, buddy.” “I will. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” “Good.” She let go, saying her goodbyes before leaving.

“Hey, Whinter. I’m at the park; where are you?” Clementine looked around the county park, which was fairly heavily populated on the weekend. “I’m in the middle of the park. I can see you, just turn around.” Clementine looked behind her to see someone waving over to her. “Got it.” She turned off her cell phone, running over to her friend. “Hey, what’s, um, what’s all this?” She gestured to the blue inkling sitting on a picnic blanket, a small basket in front of him. “Well, I wanted to surprise you. I thought about us being a couple, and I figured there wasn’t any harm in giving it a try.” The orange inkling sat across from him, smiling widely. “You know what? I think that’s a great idea.” She opened the basket, pulling out a cheeseburger. “Thanks for all this.” “It was no big deal.” He assured her, pulling out a plastic box of coleslaw. “So, how’ve things been with you lately?” “Eh, alright. I mean, everything’s going well at home, so I can’t complain there. Still, something about that Taylor girl’s been rubbing me the wrong way.” Whinter shrugged. “Well, maybe we could talk to her later when she’s by herself. For now, let’s just, I dunno, sit here and enjoy our date.” “Yeah, sounds good to me.” For a few hours, the two of them sat there, eating and talking together. “So, you want to go on a real date next week?” Whinter asked. “Like, actually planned by both of us?” “Yeah, of course!” Clementine agreed, excitedly. “This was great! Oh, hey, there’s this new restaurant that just opened a few miles from my place. Maybe I could convince my parents to take us there.” “Alright, worth a shot.” He looked up at the sun, which had started to dip below the horizon, bathing the sky in a warm orange glow. “Looks like we should start heading home now.” Clementine offered, “Hey, want to come over to my place? I think it’s closer than yours, and we could, I dunno, maybe watch the sunset on the roof?” She realized she’d been nervously tugging at her hair. “Dude, that sounds awesome! Hold on, just let me tell my parents so they don’t get worried or whatever.” “Oh, well, yeah, of course.” She agreed, sitting back down on the picnic blanket.


	5. a quick lesson in shapeshifting

A few months after he started dating Taylor and had graduated 7th grade, Marcus’s father decided to make sure he understood how turf wars worked before he graduated school. “Now, Marcus, the first step to playing turf war is to master the most basic weapon type.” The two stood in the backyard of their house, one tossing a small plastic-looking weapon over to his son. Its body was a blocky rectangle, with a simplistic trigger on the bottom. “That’s a splattershot jr. I got it on rent to help you practice, but I want you to earn enough to buy your own.” “Okay. Thanks, dad. So, what, I just press the trigger?” He held his thumb over the trigger, holding the weapon in one hand. “Well, first off, you’re holding it completely wrong.” The older of the two stated bluntly, moving his son’s hands to show him how to handle the splattershot jr. “You want your left hand supporting the front half; just let it rest on your palm. Now, hold the bottom part with your right hand, but keep your index finger on the actual firing mechanism.” “Like this?” “Better, but you’re still holding the trigger too tight. You want it so you can fire at a moment’s notice, but you won’t accidentally shoot when you don’t want to.” He moved Marcus’s finger an inch away from the trigger, making sure he knew what to do. “There, just like that. Next, I want you to see if you can shoot that target over there.” He pointed over to a rubber, cylindrical practice dummy by the house. "The jr. Doesn't have the best range, so you might want to get closer." Marcus walked a few feet closer to the dummy, pressing down on the splattershot jr's trigger. A steady stream of bright green ink came out of the front, hitting the practice dummy for a few seconds until it exploded in a loud burst. A second later, the small base left on the ground puffed up with a shrill ding, causing the practice dummy to reappear. “Not bad for your first time.” His father patted his shoulder, Marcus beaming with pride. “Now, that was just a stationary target, so later I want you to start practicing against moving targets.” “Okay. Hey, dad, can I try to shapeshift?” His father considered for a moment before answering, “Well, most inklings can’t shapeshift until they turn 14, but I guess it couldn’t hurt to try. You’ll need to really concentrate, though. Focus on shrinking, on becoming a squid and turning completely green.” “Okay, I’ll try and concentrate.” Marcus took several slow, methodical breaths, keeping his mind on the imagery his father described. He could feel himself gradually becoming shorter as his hair elongated on either side, turning into tentacles. Something in his chest started to sting, ruining his concentration so he involuntarily shifted back to humanoid form. “Gah… I don’t think it worked.” He groaned, getting back up from the ground. “Well, it was a good try for your age. I’m sure once you turn 14, you’ll pick it up no problem. Oh, how’ve things been going with Taylor?” “Things are great! She told me her parents are going out on a date tonight, so she’s going to be home alone. Do you think I could, y’know, maybe… “Sounds fine to me, but you’re going to have to ask your mother too. I mean, the two of you haven’t actually stayed over without any supervision before.” “Dad, come on, we’re old enough.” “I know, but you’ll still have to ask your mother.” “Okay, fair enough. I’ll go ask her now.”  
“Hey, mom, I got something to ask you.” Marcus called, closing the backdoor. “What is it?” She looked up from her lunch. “Taylor’s parents are going out tonight, and she wants me to come over to her place.” “I don’t know. I mean, what could she possibly want you two to do without any adult supervision?” “I dunno. Watch movies, play video games, stuff like that.” “Well, she seems like a nice girl. And I guess you’re old enough to take care of yourself. Sure, you can go, but you’d better be home by midnight.” “Thanks mom!” Marcus replied, already starting to make his own lunch.


	6. the night where something went wrong

Marcus knocked on Taylor’s door, a block away from his own place. The house was painted a mixture of blue and purple, with a brass knocker on the brown wooden door. He barely had to wait a few seconds before the door swung open. Taylor practically jumped on Marcus, dragging him inside. "Hey Marky! My parents left a half hour ago; where've you been?" "Sorry, guess it just took me a while to get here from my place." "Well, alright, but you shouldn't keep a girl waiting like that. I mean, what if you were hanging around some other girl?" Marcus stared for a moment, taken aback by her implication. "I… what? Taylor, don't you trust me?" "Yeah, of course I do. I was just kidding, that's all." After a brief awkward silence, she continued, "Hey, wanna see my room?" "Uh, sure. I don't see why not." "Then c'mon already!" She grabbed his wrist, dragging her boyfriend down the hallway to her room. It was only slightly bigger than his, and much cleaner with the black-and-white carpet obscured only by the bed in the middle of the room. "Nice room. So, what'd you want to do tonight?" Taylor started to laugh, as though he were missing something completely obvious. "Oh come on Marky. We're thirteen, we've got no adult supervision for the next couple of hours; don’t you think it’s time we did something, well, y’know…” She trailed off, clearly expecting Marcus to fill in the blanks himself while she placed her hands on his shoulders. “I know just what you mean.” Marcus grinned, pulling a thin, rectangular box out of his thin autumn coat’s inside pocket. “This game is so violent that I had to tape a dead caterpillar to my face as a fake mustache just to get the guy at the store to let me buy it.” “Uh, yeah, that’s, um, that’s fascinating, but not exactly what I have in mind.” She started pulling his jacket off of him, throwing it onto the floor. “I was thinking we could take our relationship to the next level.” Marcus finally realized what she meant, and started to feel strangely uncomfortable. “Oh, wow, I don’t know. I mean, we’ve only been going out a few months, and, uh, we’ve never really gotten physical before.” “Oh come on, Marky, what’s the harm in trying?” She put one hand on his back and started running the other through his hair. “Taylor, I’m serious; you’re making me really uncomfortable and-” Taylor interrupted Marcus by forcibly kissing him, causing him to let out a muffled scream. He tried to push her away, but she restrained his arms while pushing his head closer from behind. Marcus tried to step backwards, only for Taylor to maintain her grip. At some point, he started to hyperventilate from a combination of panic and his mouth being blocked off, while his struggling caused Taylor to accidentally slash her nails across his face, drawing a bit of blood above his eye. After what felt like an hour, Taylor finally pulled away, grinning while breathing heavily. Marcus lost his balance, collapsing onto the bed in shock. Taylor sat next to him, holding her boyfriend’s head in her lap while he started crying. “Oh come on, now, Marky, it wasn’t that bad, was it?” She continued running her fingers through his hair, quietly shushing him. “Come on, we’ve still got a few hours left. I’ll bandage you up, we can watch a movie, and then you can go home. Sound good?” When she didn’t get a response, she helped him to his feet and helped him walk into the bathroom, where she applied a bandage to the cut. Once they were back in the living room, Taylor sat them both down on the couch, wrapping them in a soft multicolored blanket before turning on the TV. While Marcus tried to process what happened, Taylor kissed his forehead before leaning in and whispering in his ear, “You know, it’d sure be a shame if we broke up. I mean, what are the chances another girl would go for you after you’ve already been with me? No one likes someone who can’t hold onto a girlfriend for more than a few months, you know. Don’t worry though; I’ll stay with you.”

The afternoon of next day, Marcus walked into the restaurant where Whinter had invited him and Taylor on a double date. As soon as he sat down, Clementine asked him, surprise and concern evident in her voice, “Mark, what happened to you?” “Huh? W-what’re you talking about? Nothing happened.” He responded, a little too hurriedly. “Then what’s with the bandage on your face? And why do you look like you’ve been crying?” Clementine gestured to his bloodshot eyes and near-vacant expression. “Oh, that? I, uh, I fell down some stairs.” “I thought you lived in a one-floor house.” Whinter argued. “I was staying at a friend’s house, okay?! Believe it or not, I actually have a life outside you two.” He snapped, startling the others while Taylor came in and sat next to him. “Sorry I’m late, Mark. Must’ve forgotten the time.” She wrapped her arm around him, causing Marcus to smile awkwardly. “Uh...right. So, how’ve things been going with you two?” Clementine looked at Taylor in particular. Marcus looked like he was about to say something before his girlfriend answered, “Oh, it’s been great. Y’know, me and Marcus had our first kiss last night.” In response, the boy shuddered almost imperceptibly, his expression becoming an even more awkward facade of happiness. “Oh, cool, cool. So, he stayed at your house last night? I mean, he did mention falling down some stairs at a friend’s house.” Whinter leaned back in the booth. “Oh, really?” She looked surprised. “Oh, right, now I remember. He fell down the stairs leading to my front door when he was leaving, and I had to give him a bandage before sending him on his way. Right, Marcus?” “Uh, yeah. That’s, um, that’s exactly what happened.” “Y’know, I’m surprised that it took you two this long to kiss. Me and Whinter took only, what, a month?” “Yeah, I remember.” The blue-haired one started to laugh quietly to himself. “I’m really not even sure why it took me so long. It was awesome.” “Yeah, I know what you mean. Our first kiss was more than worth the wait, wasn’t it Marky?” “Yeah, it was one of the best things that ever happened to me.” His voice was too monotone and his smile too forced, but no one knew exactly what to say. They continued talking idly for a while before and after the waiter appeared. After their short lunch, the four teenagers left the restaurant and split up. “Is it just me, or was there something really wrong with that whole thing?” Whinter asked, once they were out of earshot of the other couple. “Yeah, I know what you mean. Marcus looked kinda, I dunno, spooked. Wonder why?” “Well, you never really did get a chance to talk to Taylor like you wanted to.” “Yeah, I always thought there was something weird about her. Not to mention Marcus isn’t exactly the type to fall down some front door steps.” Clementine’s voice started to grow angry. “What’re you saying?” “Come on Whinter, isn’t it obvious? Marcus spends the night with Taylor, and afterwards he’s acting almost scared around her with a bandage on his face.” “Wait, you’re not saying-you don’t think she attacked him, do you?” “Well, I mean, you’ve gotta admit, it doesn’t look good.” “Yeah, maybe. But still, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions until we know for sure. For all we know, they could be telling the truth and Marcus could be acting all weird because he’s embarrassed about being clumsy.” Whinter argued. “Yeah, fair enough. But if we do find out Marcus is getting hurt...” Clementine clenched her fists. “Agreed. But for the time being, we should probably just keep an eye on them.”

“Hey, Mrs. Myers, where’s Marcus?” The purple-haired girl asked while standing just outside the front door. “Oh, I think he’s in the backyard, Taylor.” “Thanks, ma’am.” Taylor ran past the older woman, going through the door in the living room into the back of the house. “Mark! I came over to see you!” Marcus almost backed away, distracted from practicing with his splattershot jr. “Oh. Hi Taylor. I wasn’t expecting you.” “Oh come on, I’m your girlfriend, aren’t I?” “I… Yeah, you are. Good point.” “Good. By the way, I brought you something.” She gestured to the small styrofoam box tucked under her arm, and then the table in the middle of the yard with a bench facing it. “Oh. Uh, thanks.” They both sat down, Taylor handing Marcus the box. Inside was a tiny round chocolate cake, with red frosting in the shape of a rose on top in the middle of some whipped cream. “Wow. Taylor, I… what’s the occasion?” She giggled in response. “No occasion, silly. I just wanted to do something nice for my boyfriend, that’s all. Besides, I’ve seen you practice with that splattershot jr; you’ve earned it. Speaking of which, if you want I could probably help you practice.” “Really?” He looked at her with a piece of chocolate stuck to his chin, which he hastily put in his mouth. “Yeah, of course. We start tomorrow, alright?” “Yeah, I’m fine with that.” “So, how long until you’re old enough for turf wars?” “I think about half a year, or something like that.” “Oh, okay. I think I’m a month ahead of you then.” “Alright. Thank you.” “My pleasure, Marky. Alright, I think it’s time I got going.” “Kay, bye Taylor.” He waved at her while she walked out the gate in the wooden fence.


	7. the first turf war and final straw

“Right, now that we’re all finally old enough to compete in turf wars, I think we can all agree that the most important order of business is to figure out our team name.” Clementine posited to Whinter, Marcus, and Taylor as the four of them sat around a small wooden table in the middle of the local park. “Well, why not team bleeding ink?” Whinter suggested. “All in favor?” The group raised their hands. “Good, then I guess we’ve got a name. Now, Marcus, do you mind if I borrow your ink tank for a while? I just want to check it to make sure it’s ready.” “Uh, sure. It’s in here.” Marcus pulled the clear cylindrical device out of the duffel bag at his feet, handing it to his girlfriend. “Thanks, Marky. I promise you won’t regret it.” “D’you think you’ll have it ready in time for the turf war saturday?” Whinter asked. “Yeah, it should only take a day or two. Meeting adjourned?” The others thought for a moment before agreeing, going their separate ways. While Marcus was walking to his own house, Whinter ran up next to him. “Hey man, what’s up?” “Nothing much. I just wanted to talk with you alone.” “Oh. What about?” “It’s about Taylor. I noticed you two acting kinda weird sometimes, like a few months ago when you had that bandage.” “What? I told you two, I fell down some stairs. That’s all.” “Right, right. So, you really think we’re ready for a turf war?” “Honestly dude, I’m not sure. I mean, none of us have actually done it before, but it’s worth a shot.” “Yeah, that’s fair. Now, getting back on track, how’s Taylor been treating you? Clementine and I can’t really put our fingers on it, but we both agreed there’s something that feels off about her.” “What? That’s ridiculous.” He sounded uncharacteristically angry. “I mean, yeah, she forced me to kiss her, but she couldn’t help it. Besides, she’s actually really nice to me when I just listen to her.” “Wait, hold up. She forced you to kiss her?” Whinter grabbed Marcus’s shoulders, turning him so they were facing each other. “Uh. Yeah.” Mark responded awkwardly. The look on the blue-haired inkling’s face could best be described as a mix of anger and worry. “Really, Marcus? Why didn’t you tell us?” “I… I don’t know. I guess it just, y’know, wasn’t that important.” “Seriously? Did you tell her you didn’t want to kiss her?” “Well, I guess I told her she was making me uncomfortable, but she might not have realized what I meant.” “Oh yeah, really open to interpretation there.” Whinter snarled. “You know Marcus, if she doesn’t respect you, maybe you two shouldn’t be together.” “What are you talking about? She respects me; she’s told me she does dozens of times.” “Oh really? What about those clothes of yours? Who picked those out?” Marcus hesitated. “Taylor, but they look good on me.” “Is that what she thinks, or what you think? Be honest here.” “I...we both agreed it was a good choice, even if it was her idea! Besides, what does that have to do with anything?” He snapped defensively. “I-Marcus, come on! It’s obvious she doesn’t care about you!” “Look, Whinter, can you just leave me alone right now?” Marcus stormed off, leaving his friend behind.

Three days after choosing their name, team bleeding ink arrived at the local turf war arena in the middle of Melani county. It was a wooden building painted in dozens of vibrant colors, with sliding glass doors on either side. Taylor handed Marcus his ink tank. “Good news, Mark. I checked this up and down, and there’s nothing wrong with it.” “Thanks.” He strapped the tank to his back, shooting a brief glare at Whinter. “So, anyone know what team we’re going against?” “I think I overheard someone say team death by dualies is going in today.” Clementine answered him. “Wonder what weapon they use.” Whinter chuckled while rolling his eyes. “Yeah, I’ve heard of those guys.” Marcus added. “Apparently they’ve played a dozen matches, but haven’t actually won any.” “Well, considering this is our first match, we should be pretty even.” Taylor remarked. An alarm above the door started to emit a loud high-pitched beeping noise, signaling that it was time to start the game. They ran into the building, quickly surveying the arena. The walls, floor, and ceiling were a dull brown, and the terrain was mostly flat with the occasional small cubic structure jutting out to provide cover. On the other side of the building about 100 feet away, a group of 4 other inklings entered through their team’s door. “Remember, team: we’ve got three minutes to cover as much ground as we can in our orange ink, and whichever team has more of the stuff on the ground wins. Simple as that.” Clementine reminded them as the match started in earnest. Team death by dualies started covering the area near them in cyan ink, but three of them seemed more interested in performing the dualie class’s dodge-roll gimmick. The fourth member ran toward the center of the arena, holding his two small pistol-like firearms out on either side of himself to form parallel cyan trails. “I say we split up.” Clementine recommended. The rest of team bleeding ink gestured in the affirmative, each heading off to fight a member of the opposition while shooting orange ink out of their splattershot jr.’s. Marcus arrived at the center of the arena at around the same time as the only member of team death by dualies who seemed to be taking any of it seriously. “Hey man. I’m guessing you’re the leader of your team?” Marcus surmised. “You catch on quick, newbie.” He fired at Marcus, forcing the other inkling to jump to the side out of the way. “Yeah, well, I hear your team has lost all your matches, so I’m feeling pretty good about our odds.” He tossed a splatbomb, only for the enemy leader to dodge-roll backwards to avoid the pyramidal explosive. His shirt and face were partially covered in orange ink from the blast radius, and he briefly turned into a squid to dive into his own cyan ink. Marcus fired at where he estimated the leader of team death by dualies to be, until a few seconds later when the cyan inkling jumped out in humanoid form. He tossed 5 splatbombs at Marcus in rapid succession, forcing him to swim through his ink in squid form as the explosions went off inches behind him. By the time he jumped out, shifting back to humanoid form and tuning around to face his opponent, his back was almost completely covered in splotches of bright blue. “Not bad, newbie. Say, mind telling me your name?” He wasn’t being condescending; he sounded genuinely affable. “Marcus. You?” “Name’s Logan.” He fired another volley of ink at Marcus, who dodged to the side. “Gotta say, you seem to be a lot better at this than your teammates. No offense.” “None taken. But we’ve been training a lot since our last match, so I think we might just come out on top for once. Anything happen with you this year?” “Well, I got a girlfriend last year.” He grinned, firing more orange liquid at Logan. “That’s funny. I got a girlfriend too a few weeks ago, but she’s on another team.” By now they'd stopped battling altogether. "What team is she on?" "She hasn't gotten around to telling me yet. Apparently she only joined a few days ago and-" An orange splatbomb appeared between them, going off inches in front of Logan and immediately sending him to the cyan respawn generator on his team's end of the arena. "What the-?" Marcus turned to see Taylor a few feet away, her arm arcing downwards from tossing the bomb. "Tay, what was that for? We were just talking." "You need to focus, Myers!" She sounded more angry than usual, as though she were worried about something. “Taylor, what’s the problem? It’s just a game.” “Maybe, but do you want to lose your first match?” She asked, more calmly this time. “I… No, I guess not.” “Good. Now, focus on the match.” “Got it.” They both ran off in opposite directions. Marcus continued to shoot the ground to cover more turf until his ink tank inevitably ran empty. Remembering what his father told him during their years of practice together, Marcus turned into a squid to dive into his own ink trail. After a few seconds, he popped out with a still-empty ink tank. “Huh? W-what’s going on? It should’ve refilled!” Logan appeared in front of him, brandishing his dualies and preparing to fire one at Marcus. “Wait, time out! My ink tank is broken!” He hastily took the canister off his back, showing that it was still empty. “Wait, what?” Logan skidded to a stop, looking at the tank. “Doesn’t look broken.” “I know, but it’s not refilling. Watch.” He tried once again to refill his ink tank, with the same result as his previous attempt. “See?” “Woah, that is weird. Maybe there’s something wrong with the wiring? Did you let anyone else touch it recently?” “Uh, just my girl-” The buzzer started to go off, signaling that the match was over as the rest of team bleeding ink appeared from near Marcus. Marcus didn’t pay attention, having realized something. “Taylor, why isn’t my ink tank refilling?” She hesitated, clearly trying to think of an answer. Marcus repeated, angrier this time, “What did you do?” Logan positioned himself between them, arms held out in a protective stance. “Hey, what makes you think you can talk to my girlfriend like that?” Marcus dropped his weapon in shock. “Taylor? What’s he saying? I thought you were my girlfriend? Which one is it?” “I...um...I...” Taylor hesitated before blurting out. “Logan I’ve never seen him in my life before! He’s a complete stranger I swear!” “You were cheating on me, weren’t you?” Marcus’s voice was filled with barely-disguised rage. “Whinter was right. You don’t care about me, and I should’ve broken up with you months ago.” He ran out of the building, not even bothering to hide that he was crying. Whinter and Clementine ran after him, eventually finding him sitting at a bench. He was closed off, tears still streaming down his face. Clementine and Whinter sat on either side of him. "Hey buddy." Clementine whispered, unsure how to handle the situation. "I… I just ca...can't believe… sh...she'd…" He trailed off, completely giving up as he was racked by sobs. "I'm sorry, Marcus." Whinter pulled him close, letting his friend cry into his shoulder. "I should've done more." "No, it...it's my fault." He'd mostly stopped crying, but was still shuddering. "I… I should've realized…" Clementine put her hand on his shoulder, telling him, "don't blame yourself. You didn't do anything wrong." "Hey! Marcus!" Taylor called, standing a few feet away from the bench. "I'm sorry. Look, we can start dating again. I promise, it'll be better this time." ” Marcus silently stood up, walking towards Taylor. “Mark, wait.” Clementine started. Marcus glared at Taylor, smacking her in the face hard enough to leave it red on one side. “How dare you?!” He screamed, letting out all his rage at once. “Why the hell would I go out with you ever again?! After you spent years trying to control me, never letting me make my own decisions, forced me to kiss you after I told you I didn’t want to, and now you’re cheating on me?! What is wrong with you?! Get out of my sight right now!” Taylor stared at Marcus in shock, running away. Marcus continued to shake with anger, his throat sore from screaming at the top of his lungs. Logan nervously walked over from one of the nearby tables. “Marcus? Are… are you alright?” Mark spent a half minute trying to calm down. “Yeah. I think so.” His voice was still quiet and hoarse, but he’d at least stopped shaking. “How much did you hear?” “All of it. Is all that true?” “Yeah, but I never knew about the kiss thing.” Clementine confirmed. “Yeah, he told me a few days ago. I’m sorry, I should’ve told you earlier.” Whinter explained. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea she already had a boyfriend.” “It’s fine. It’s her fault, not yours.” “Thanks for understanding. I’m going back to my team, if you don’t mind.” “Yeah, go ahead.” Marcus sat back down between his friends, holding his head in both hands. After a few minutes of silence between the three of them, Whinter asked, “So… what now? We can’t exactly compete in turf wars with a three-man team. More importantly, Marcus, what are you planning to do?” In response, the green-haired boy unzipped his pocket to extract four tiny pieces of paper. “Wait a second.” Clementine leaned over to get a closer look. “Those are tickets to Inkopolis. That place is the capital city of our entire culture! How did you get those?” “I spent the last few months working as my dad’s assistant at his job, saving up for these. It was so exhausting, and I also had to do some odd jobs around town. I wanted to keep them a surprise for after our first turf war or two, thinking that, I dunno, maybe we could take team bleeding ink to Inkopolis and really make a name for ourselves. So much for that idea, I guess.” “Well, maybe we still could.” Whinter offered. “Even though, to be honest, I don’t really want to move to Inkopolis. I mean, it’s just so, I don’t know, big and complicated. Out here in the county, things are small and simple.” “Yeah, same, honestly. Here, it feels like everyone kind of knows each other. It’s like an actual community, whereas Inkopolis...” She trailed off, no need to finish. “Oh. Well, if you guys aren’t going, then neither am I.” “Hey, you don’t have to do that. If you really want to go to Inkopolis, then go.” Whinter assured him. “But you guys are my best friends. I don’t want to just forget about you.” “Who says you have to?” Clementine pulled her phone out of her pocket. “We all have each others’ numbers. We can keep in touch that way.” “Really? Are you guys sure you’re okay with me leaving?” They both spoke in the affirmative. “Thanks, both of you. I’ll be sure to keep you guys updated on how I do with turf wars.” “Hey, don’t worry about that. Just take care of yourself. Oh, but if you find another girlfriend, make sure she actually respects you.” Whinter advised. “Thanks. I will.” “Alright, bud, I think the next train is going to stop here in a couple hours. My advice: Go tell your parents, and then get on that train.” Clementine told Marcus. “Actually, I already told my parents. We already said our goodbyes, and they’re expecting me to text them once I’m on the train.” “Oh, okay, so what do you want to do in the meantime?” She asked. “Well, I think it’s about lunchtime.” “Alright. Pizza place sound good?” Whinter asked. “Yeah, sounds good.” Clementine agreed. “I could go for some pizza.” Marcus stood up, genuinely smiling as the three of them walked off.

A month later, Marcus, Lauren, and Katherine sat on a couch watching a trashy action b-movie in the headquarters of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. Marcus found his mind wandering to one of his missions from the past month, when he’d forgotten to leave his phone at home and it was destroyed during a fight with an enemy octoling along with his contact with his friends from Melani county. “Hey, Marcus, everything alright? You look like you’re thinking about something.” Lauren asked. “Yeah, just thinking about some old friends of mine.” “Oh. alright then. Hey, I just realized something. Katherine only just arrived on the surface, and she doesn’t have anywhere to stay.” “Oh, it’s fine. I can just sleep here.” “Not happening. This is a base, not a house.” Lauren rebuffed. “I’d let you stay at my place, but I don’t think that’d be a good idea financially.” “Well, I think I might be able to afford a roommate.” Marcus offered. “Back at my old town, I spent months saving up, but accidentally bought too many tickets to this city. Long story short, tickets to Inkopolis can get some pretty decent prices in smaller counties.” “Okay, so that takes care of that. Are you sure you’re fine with me living with you?” “Yeah, no problem. Of course, you’ll also have to help me around the house, plus you’ll need to get a job.” Katherine beamed, hugging him without warning. “Thank you so much!” “Hey, no problem.” “Alright, now that we’ve gotten that settled, wanna keep watching the movie?” Lauren offered. “Yeah, sounds good.” Kat agreed. “Yeah, why not?” Marcus confirmed, as the three of them went back to focusing on the TV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally complete. Now, some of you may have been disappointed by the ending of Splat, Contain, Protect. I was too, which is why, on October 31st, I'll be posting a revamped version of chapter 64. The old version will be reposted as a separate work for archival purposes, similar to what I did for the chapter 35 deleted scene.
> 
> Whinter Castello and Clementine Lanark were originally created by TamarinFrog for his Webcomic Heroes Of Inkopolis: https://www.deviantart.com/tamarinfrog/gallery/55917023/splatoon-heroes-of-inkopolis
> 
> Melani county was first mentioned in chapter 38 of LittleMapleLeaf's First Aid Kits And Deep Secrets: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4692170/chapters/32645973


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